| Jackson: Granted 12/31/2001 |
| The Story of Jackson |
Quilters Craft Corgi Art and Save Dogs
By Mindy Mitchell
copyright 2001 by Mindy Mitchell, all rights reserved, used by permission
OK–Not knowing where his next bowl of kibble was coming from, Jackson, a Pembroke Welsh Corgi raised in a puppymill, was rescued and put into a foster home. A family in California wanted him. Things were looking good.
But then a medical checkup revealed that Jackson’s teeth were so rotten that he would die from bacterial infection. His new family bailed out on him when they learned the cost of his life-saving surgery.
In stepped CorgiAid (http://www.corgiaid.org), an organization whose mission is saving pure- and mixed-breed Cardigan and Pembroke Welsh Corgis.
CorgiAid paid for Jackson’s emergency oral surgery and is paying for his ongoing care, to the tune of $2,000.
Coming up with that kind of money takes a lot of creativity and hard work. That is why a group of needle-wielding women hatched a plan to create a quilt and raffle it off on the Internet.
The Corgi Quilt Project was born. Discussion about putting a quilt together initially started among members of Corgi-L (http://home.ncn.com/~corgi), an Internet mailing list for corgi owners and lovers.
A call for quilt squares was put out on Corgi-L and corgi devotees from across the United States responded. Quilters from Canada and Australia joined in. In the end, 21 women created 36 quilt squares in an endeavor that took well over a year.
All this for a stubby-legged dog with big ears and an all-consuming quest for snacks.
The quilters said they donated their time to the project because of their love of the breed and the importance of raising money for CorgiAid. Several said they have a rescue dog or have worked in rescue efforts.
Pat Mitchell, who coordinated the quilt project from Wisconsin, thinks corgis are special. “I have a profoundly gifted son and this dog reminds me a little of him,” she said. “Given a challenge and wings to soar, they are fabulous. Stifled and unchallenged, they can get into trouble!”
CorgiAid is necessary, said Millie Williams, a former rescue chairperson and breeder/exhibitor, because it saves mixed-breed corgis that probably would be passed over by a breed club. “Just because they’re a mix, sometimes no one else will see value in them,” she said.
Walt Boyes, president of CorgiAid, knows firsthand the challenges faced by individual rescuers and rescue clubs. Boyes said it is CorgiAid’s charter that no corgi or corgi mix goes unrescued for lack of funds.
To apply for financial assistance from CorgiAid, rescuers must submit an application and photo of the dog in need. A five-member board votes on whether or not the case receives funding.
Not only does CorgiAid pay for extreme medical expenses for rescue dogs such as heartworm treatment and orthopedic problems, it also pays for neutering and shots if a dog passes the application process.
This takes a tremendous financial burden off rescuers who donate their time to foster, transport and prepare a dog for a new home.
Williams appreciates that CorgiAid is available if needed. She has a fondness for all corgis, but said the rescue dogs are easy to get attached to and hard to let go. “They really touch my heart,” she said. “The way they look at you with their eyes, so grateful that you are their special person who takes care of them.”
Williams and Boyes agree that placing a healthy rescue dog into a great home is the best part of their efforts. “That’s my paycheck, knowing there’s a happy ever-after,” said Williams.
Since the women working on the quilt project were so geographically diverse, Mitchell said she saw a need to keep track of the quilters’ progress. She created a Web page that provided general information and pictures of the finished quilt squares (http://home.wi.rr.com/pmitchell/corgiquilt.html).
Kathleen Tootell, an account executive from Michigan, said she never imagined working on a collaborative project with people she’s never met.
“I love having Internet corgi friends,” said Cindy Read, an editor from New York. “It seems as if our human differences don’t matter so much. We become a kind of family.”
Along with the time spent on her two quilt squares, Read said she put in more than 25 hours
e-mailing participants about planning and implementation.
Peggy Neumeier of Indiana, who serves as the CorgiAid fundraising committee chairperson, collected all the quilt squares and sewed them together to make the finished product.
She then shipped the quilt off to St. Louis, where it took its place among 22 other quilts being exhibited at the AKC Museum of the Dog.
The museum displayed the quilt during a three-month show called “Dogs-N-Stitches,” which was comprised of quilts made by members of dog rescue clubs in the United States and Canada.
In the end, Neumeier organized an online auction to raffle off the corgi quilt. She sold 2,700 tickets, raising $2,300 for the CorgiAid treasury.
Neumeier has coordinated several online auctions in the last two years, the most recent of which netted more than $5,000. “Corgi owners are a committed group of people who have hearts of gold,” she said.
As a result, Jackson the corgi will get his chance to live a happy life with a new family. And all it took was a few pieces of fabric, a little thread and a lot of love.
Jackson’s New Home
as reported by ForPaws
Brenna Memole, age 9, was kind enough to open her heart to a special needs dog, Jackson, a purebred Pembroke Welsh Corgi, who had come to rescue with severe dental problems.
Thanks to financial assistance from Corgiaid, Jackson received the dental care he needed. Thanks to Brenna Memole, Jackson’s teeth are brushed every day, without fail. Thanks to the Memole family, this lovely dog’s long-term health is assured. We at ForPaws Corgi Rescue can’t imagine a happier ending to a story than this!
A Letter from Jackson’s New Owner
Dear ForPaws Corgi Rescue,
Hi, we are the Memole family and we have just adopted a new Welsh Corgi named Jackson. He is five years old. He is so cute! We got him from a Corgi rescue program.
What I absolutely love about Jackson is that he loves to play, and so do my other dogs, Rosie and Sammy. Rosie is an Airedale Terrier who is 6 years old, and Sammy is a terrier mix who is 15 years old. They get along pretty well except when Rosie gets too close to Jackson. But when you go to sleep he will sleep on the end of your bed all
night long. I want to thank Tina for introducing me to Jackson, because now he is my best buddy!
By,
Brenna Memole